Before Joel Osteen, Brian Houston, or even L. Ron Hubbard, there was Herbert W. Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God (WCG).  A doomsday apocalyptic cult active in roughly 70 countries around the globe, the WCG lured its members in with the promise of protection from an impending World War III and a place of leadership in the utopia to follow.  

Who exactly was Herbert Armstrong and who were his followers? What was it like to grow up believing that you were one of only 144,000 people that God called in all of human history to lead his new world order?  And how has Armstrongism survived in the 2020s? Find out these answers – and so much more -  in this introductory episode, “God Speaks to Us,” narrated, written and produced by a former member of the church itself, Dr. Tricia Jenkins.  Sound design and editing by Thirteen Media.

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Special thanks to Dr. Steven Hassan, Lisa Metzel Bonnet, Nathanael O’Reilly and D.J. Grothe for their contributions to this episode and to Joel Kramer, who gave us permission to use clips from his documentary Called to be Free, which can be viewed on YouTube.

Worldwide: The Unchosen Church shares firsthand accounts of growing up inside of a doomsday apocalyptic cult.  It's a series about the costs and rewards of high-demand religious groups, dispelling many of the myths about what types of people join cults.  Join host and former WCG member Dr. Tricia Jenkins, as she and other former church members showcase the beauty, comedy, and tragedy of life inside and outside of Herbert W. Armstrong's Worldwide Church of God (WCG).  

Series premieres Wednesday, June 15 with new episodes every week.  Follow us on Instagram @worldwidepod for additional content. 

Hosted and created by Dr. Tricia Jenkins with editing and sound design by Thirteen Media.